Ruthless.Com

Chapter Eighteen

The fax was on Sian Po's desk when he came into work that morning — a dispatch out of Central HQ advising of a nationwide police search for an American named Max Blackburn, and accompanied by a passport photograph and some sketchy details about the circumstances of his disappearance. All personnel were to be on alert for information regarding his whereabouts, and immediately relay it to CID. The same notice, Sian Po knew, would have been forwarded to the divisional headquarters at Clementi, Tanglin, Ang Mo Kio, Bedock, and Jurong, as well as to hundreds of command center and vehicular computer stations over the Incident Based Information System.

Wishing to remain undisturbed, the commander immediately buzzed his receptionist, instructed her to hold his calls for the next half hour, and read the dispatch over a cup of green tea. It contained only a few brief paragraphs about last week's mysterious scene outside the Hyatt, and they conveyed little that was new to him. However, the material about the parties involved was most intriguing. There were fuller descriptions of the men who had accosted the American… and most importantly, there was the profile of Blackburn himself. Printed beside his photo, it included data about his age, general physical chacteristics, and employer, a satcom outfit called UpLink International operating in the Johor area.

Sian Po drank his tea and reflected back on his stroll in the park with Fat B. What in the world was the club owner into? His nose told him it was something big.

He set down his cup, thinking. The report was as interesting for what it didn't reveal as what it did, and had put several questions into his mind. There was nothing to indicate where the facts about Max Blackburn and the other men had come from. And no mention of the woman Sian Po had heard was involved. Why? Could it be that she was the source of the information? That she'd been located and was perhaps being kept under wraps? CID investigators were customarily tight-lipped, quick to mark their turf, and loath to accept assistance from other departments in the Force. It was conceivable those bastards knew where she was or had her in custody — or under police protection, whichever. If they did, they would not share that secret with anyone at ground level. Not as long as they could help it.

Still, Sian Po had his useful contacts, including a supervisor in intelligence who would be glad to talk to him for a cut of his own payoff from Fat B. And Fat B had strongly hinted the sum would be considerable. He had to be careful, though. Ask what he needed to ask without divulging too much in exchange. The main thing was to find out about the woman, find out where she was. For now that would be a sufficiently juicy morsel to pass along. He would see what else might develop afterward.

Placing the report on his desk beside his teacup, he reached for the phone and made his call.

Nimec managed to catch Gordian in his office at a quarter past eleven in the morning. The boss was rushed, and expectedly so; he'd arrived late after a business parley at his home, and only planned to stay long enough to take care of some odds and ends before leaving for the airport. Vince Scull, Chuck Kirby, Richard Sobel, and Megan Breen — the four of whom were flying to D. C. as passengers in Gordian's Leaijet — had already driven on ahead in a company car, and the hurried atmosphere had made it all the more difficult for Nimec to tell him about Blackburn… and then persuade him to green-light a trip overseas so he could look into what was going on with Max.

Harder than either, however, was disclosing that he'd let Max undertake a hidden probe into Monolith-Singapore's books without first seeking Gordian's consent… the unstated but clearly understood reason being that had it been a sure thing the idea would have been scotched out of hand.

Gordian's reaction to the news about Max — and Nimec's admission — was a predictable mix of anger, dismay, and concern.

"It's beyond me how you could have been part of something this reckless, Pete," he said. He was leaning forward with his right elbow on his desk blotter, his head tilted slightly downward, rubbing the corner of his eye with his index finger. "Completely beyond me."

Nimec looked at him from across the desk.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I won't try to justify it. But consider the big picture. Marcus Caine had been using the crypto bill to impale you in the press. And Blackburn believed Monolith was engaged in a series of illegal business practices and hiding evidence of it in Singapore. It was reasonable to suspect some of those activities might have been aimed at causing damage to UpLink—"

"So instead of coming to me with those suspicions, the two of you launched a caper that could have easily sunk us in quicksand. And likely has, from what you're saying."

Nimec was quiet for a minute, then nodded.

"Yes, we should've notified you, and we didn't," he said. "It was a stupid mistake. And I'm afraid to think about how dearly Max may be paying for it."

Silence.

Gordian was still leaning against the edge of his desk, massaging the corner of his eye with his fingertip.

"Let's back up a second," he said. "You're convinced Blackburn's in some kind of trouble?"

Nimec gave him another nod.

"And you want to go extricate him from it."

"If I can," Nimec said. "With some help."

Gordian shook his head. "It's tough for me to believe Caine's people would go so far as to harm Max. Regardless of what he might have gotten wind of."

Nimec moved his shoulders. "We can't make assumptions about how much Caine might or might not know. Or who his people are. Or what sort of people they're involved with."

Gordian placed both hands on his desk and studied them, his lips pressed together.

"It's a hell of a time for me to make this sort of decision," he said, looking up at Nimec. "I'm flying to Washington in a little while. And I've got my mind on other matters beside that."

"Caine's hostile bid," Nimec said.

"Yes."

There was another period of silence. It fell over them with a weight that was almost palpable.

"All right," Gordian said finally. "See what you can do. But if something comes up, you'd damned well better consult with me. I lost too many good men and women in Russia to tolerate anyone in this organization taking unnecessary chances."

Nimec breathed.

"Thanks," he said, rising from his chair. "I only regret not being able to join you in D. C. You'll have a crack security detail, but it's going to be a madhouse."

Remaining seated, Gordian looked at him and shrugged dismissively.

"Just be careful to watch your own back," he said. "My guess is I won't be facing anything deadlier than potshots from reporters."

Nimec offered a thin smile.

"Probably right," he said. "But somebody's got to worry."

"Marcus, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Obviously something's wrong."

"Give it time. I need to relax."

Lying in bed with Caine amid the restored deco furnishings of their room at the Hotel De Anza, her face beside his on the pillow, her naked body pressed against him, Arcadia Foxworth licked her fingertip and slid her hand under the sheets, tracing a slow line of moisture down his stomach.

He lay there, tense and unresponsive.

"Tell me," she said, raising her head off the pillow. "Is there somebody else?"

"Only you," he said distractedly.

"Well…"

"Well, what?"

"There's your wife," she said. "She's one I know of, anyway."

He broke off his thoughts and looked at her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he said. "Must you be jealous of Odeille?"

"Hardly," she said. "It isn't important what you do with her when we're not together. But when we are, I want you here. Thinking about me."

"Arcadia," he said, "let's not argue."

"I'm not arguing."

"Then let's not continue with whatever sort of conversation we're having. I've been under a great deal of pressure lately. That's all there is to it."

She looked at him, easing closer over the mattress, the bare white flesh of her breasts against his shoulder.

"Okay," she said, taking him into her hand, tightening her fingers around him beneath the sheet. "Usually, though, it's pressure that gets you going."

He lay there on his back, very still, staring past her face at the ceiling. What was he supposed to say? That his dealings with Nga had taken him over a line he'd never expected to cross? That he'd been coerced into ordering the murder of Roger Gordian — and Lord knew who else would be on that plane — and would soon have blood on his hands? Would that help her understand why he wasn't feeling especially aroused?

"Stop," he said abruptly. "It isn't happening."

"I've come two thousand miles from New York to be with you," she said.

"Nobody twisted your arm."

Her eyes widened. She pushed away from him, her hand retreating from where she'd had it, grabbing the sheet, tugging it up over her chest.

"You son of a bitch," she said.

Caine threw his legs over the side of the bed and strode naked across the room to the chair on which he'd put his clothing. He kept his back to her as he silently got dressed.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Arcadia said. She had sat up against the headboard.

He waited until he was fully clothed before turning to answer.

"Yes," he said. "I'm thinking that you're right. I should be honest about what's bothering me. You deserve honesty."

She looked at him.

He didn't know why he said what next came out of his mouth, other than that it made him feel better, released some of his pent-up anxiety and frustration.

"You're lovely, Arcadia. First-class. But you've walked a long road from the streets of Argentina, and I like my women younger," he said. "The simple fact is that you don't excite me anymore."

Her mouth actually dropped open. She looked as if she'd been slapped.

It occurred to Caine that he might have gone further than he'd intended, that there was little chance she would ever want to see him again after this ugly scene.

Once more over the line, he thought. Yet strangely, it didn't seem to matter… although why it didn't was a question he'd have to consider later on.

"Don't bother yourself about the hotel tab, I'll take care of it," he said.

And turned from her shocked face, opened the door, and left the room.